Cork City outclass Cobh Ramblers again at Turner’s Cross

Cork City 4 Cobh Ramblers 1 

CORK City ensured they went into the mid-season break on a high with an emphatic victory over Cobh Ramblers at Turner’s Cross on Thursday night. 

At times it looked like men against boys in the Cork derby as City completely dominated the game. As good as Tim Clancy’s side were, Ramblers were poor with the visitors spending most of the evening on the edge of their own penalty area. City’s movement and creativity was excellent on the night, and Ramblers could simply not live with their opponents.

Cian Coleman put his side in front before Darragh Crowley, Jack Doherty and Cian Murphy got their names on the scoresheet for City, while Nolan Evers was on target for the visitors in front of 2,524 spectators.

City made one change from the Longford Town game with Cian Murphy coming into the starting 11 in place of young striker Harvey Skieters. Following their impressive victory over Finn Harps, Ramblers manager Gary Hunt also made one change with Evers dropping to the bench for Brendan Frahill.

Jack Doherty had the game’s first sight on goal where he forced Darragh Burke into making a smart save. However there was nothing the Ramblers’ keeper could do to prevent Coleman from opening the scoring from the resulting corner with the City captain executing a great header back across goal to put the league leaders in front.

The goal seemed to knock the visitors’ confidence with City taking complete control of the game. Sean Murray tried to add to his strike against Ramblers at St Colman’s Park earlier in the season but this time his long-range effort went over the crossbar.

It wouldn’t have been a Cork derby without a few questionable challenges and there was a heated exchange between the players midway through the half, which surprisingly concluded with no cards shown by referee Daniel Murphy. What was noticeable after the altercation was the difference in experience between the sides with a number of City players surrounding the referee in the hope of influencing his decision.

Cobh’s early promise was not showing any signs of resurfacing with the visitors struggling to get out of their own half against City. Murphy came within inches of getting his first goal of the season but unfortunately for him, his header came off the outside of the post.

The post came to the rescue of Ramblers again when Doherty did well to carve out an opportunity for himself from just outside the penalty area but his turning volley just couldn’t find enough bend to go inside the post.

City did deservingly double their lead from another corner when again Coleman created nervousness in the Ramblers’ penalty area before the ball fell kindly to Crowley who dispatched from close-range.

Murray almost inflicted more misery on Ramblers just before half-time but fortunately for them, his shot went just off-target.

There wasn’t much change to the start of the second-half with City in control of the game. Bolger almost embarrassed Burke with a curling effort but it came off the crossbar.

The Rebel Army didn’t have long to wait for their third goal when Doherty’s timely run into the penalty area was picked out perfectly by Cian Bargary, with Doherty making no mistake heading into the net.

The former Ramblers player almost doubled his tally moments later but this time Burke managed to prevent City’s top-scorer from finding the net again.

Brad Wade who had had an extremely quiet evening was called into action on the hour mark when he bravely prevented Tiernan O’Brien from scoring. Wade had been a spectator up until that point but once again showed his attributes with wonderful stop.

Ramblers pulled one back through Evers when he headed home a Jack Larkin corner.

Murphy restored his side’s three goal advantage when the striker was on hand to head home from just inside the six-yard header after Malik Dijksteel had done well to head back across goal. It was the striker’s first goal of the campaign and celebrations were both of joy and relief.

City continued to press in the final stages of the match but couldn’t manage to score again.

CORK CITY: Wade; Crowley (Nevin 58), Coleman, Lyons, McLaughlin; Bolger (Coffey 66), Murray (Healy 73), Doherty; Bargary (Fitzpatrick 73), Murphy, Drinan (Dijksteel 58).

COBH RAMBLERS: Burke; J Eguaibor, Franhill, D Larkin, Le Bervet (DeSanctis 85); O’Brien, Holland (Evers 46), Abbot, J Larkin, Kervick (Deasy 85); Bosnjak (Towler 90).

Referee: Daniel Murphy.